Two boys were killed when a giant boulder destroyed the Alpine ski chalet they were sleeping in.
The accident happened in the early hours of yesterday morning at the British-built resort of Isola 2000, in southern France.
Mayor of the village, Jean-Marie Bogini said that some members of the two families in the chalet managed to escape, but the youngsters, aged seven and 10, could not get out.
"It happened in a chalet on the outskirts of the village," said Mr Bogini. "There was a landslide. There were seven people in the house – five adults and two children."
Local emergency staff were scrambled to the scene after a boulder, 32ft high and 16ft wide, was dislodged from the cliff above.
It was part of a landslide which left the village of Isola ‘cut in half’ and could have been caused by the cliff being in a fragile state due to a long period of rain followed by a thaw, said police.
In 2009 Isola 2000 was completely blocked off when three avalanches fell on roads leading up to it. Hundreds of Britons were among those trapped, reports the Daily Mail.
